Parents unaware of type-1 diabetes signs

The majority of parents do not know the main symptoms of type-1 diabetes, new research has shown.

A poll conducted on behalf of the charity Diabetes UK found that nine out of ten parents were unable to correctly identify the four key symptoms of the disease - frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme tiredness and unexplained weight loss.

The survey, which involved 1,170 parents, helps to explain why one in four children with type-1 diabetes are not diagnosed until they have progressed to a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

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Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: 'The symptoms of type-1 diabetes are so obvious and pronounced that there is no reason why every child with the condition cannot be diagnosed straight away.

'I fear that unless there is a big increase in awareness of symptoms, we will continue to see hundreds of children a year become seriously ill completely needlessly.'

Parents are being urged to remember the '4 Ts' of type-1 diabetes symptoms - toilet, thirsty, tired and thinner - to help them recognise if their child is ill.

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